“His Name Shall Be Called Jesus” Matthew 1:18-25 December 8, 2019 II. The Incomparable Announcement of God’s Word: Matthew 1:21 “When was laboring after day painting the ceiling of the , he grew so discouraged that he A. The name Jesus comes from the name Joshua in the Old resolved to quit. Testament which means Savior. As the dusk darkened the always-shadowed Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo, weary, sore, and doubtful, climbed down the ladder B. “Whatever happened to sin?” from his scaffolding where he’d been lying on his back since , Karl Menninger painting the chapel ceiling. After eating a lonely dinner, he wrote a sonnet to his aching body. The last line [was]… “I’m no painter.” C. “Some employees call it fringe benefits,” said the But when the sun shone again, Michelangelo got up from his Chicago Sun-Times, June 19, 1970, “but most employers bed, climbed up his scaffold, and labored another day on his call it thievery… Lie detector samplings… showed 72 magnificent vision of the Creator. percent of the tested department store employees [were What pushed him up the ladder? Hope.” Lewis Smedes involved] … 86 percent of the sampled truck drivers and 82 percent of the bank employees!”

I. The Unexplainable Activity of God’s Work: Matthew 1:18,19,22 III. The Unexpected Acceptance of God’s Will: Matthew 1:22-25 A. Joseph made a commitment to get married only to find out his soon to be wife was with child. A. Joseph did as the commanded.

B. The thing that stopped Joseph from breaking his B. Joseph and Mary were married and had a son. They call commitment to get married was a God-thing. His name Jesus!

C. The thing that enabled Joseph to live out his commitment for his entire life was unexplainable without supernatural intervention.